BackgroundIntroduction
to the WASH Network

In September 2010, a Learning Forum that was organized by the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) together with its partners in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on equity and inclusion saw the formation of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (WASH-Net) of Sierra Leone. This led to a stakeholders’ dialogue on the Right to Water and Sanitation which was a national dialogue to consider the issues and challenges of the progressive realization of the right to water and sanitation in Sierra Leone by the Youth Partnership for Peace and Development - an initial member of ANEW).
The dialogue which brought together a number of Civil Society organizations identified critical barriers to the rights and access of WASH which include insufficient political prioritization, weak sector capacity to develop and implement effective plans and strategies, and uncoordinated and inadequate investments to place WASH at the heart of national development plan. Furthermore, weak CSO capacity to engage in the sector, low citizens’ engagement and exclusion of the poor and marginalized groups were also identified.
It was therefore established as a national platform